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03.07.11

President Obama to Resume Guantanamo Bay Trials

Shane T. McCoy, U.S. Navy / AP Photo,SHANE T. MCCOY

Guantanamo Bay prison isn’t going anywhere soon. President Obama approved the resumption of military trials for detainees at the Cuba prison today, ending a two-year ban instituted by Defense Secretary Robert Gates on the day of Obama’s inauguration. "I strongly believe that the American system of justice is a key part of our arsenal in the war against al Qaeda and its affiliates, and we will continue to draw on all aspects of our justice system—including Article III courts—to ensure that our security and our values are strengthened," Obama said. Article III courts are military commissions. Closing the prison was a campaign promise of Obama’s, but implementation
proved tricky as Congress made it much harder to move Guantanamo detainees into the United States for trial in civilian court.